Jessica and her squad advanced toward the towering structure, the cliffs of Mildonia looming behind them.
Sirens shrieked and gunfire split the night. In Jessica's sharp eyes burned a realization—Endi and Cain's infiltration had been exposed.
"Idiots! I can't believe they got caught this quickly!"
Her voice snapped like a sail whipped by a raging storm.
One of her men muttered nervously.
"They'll be killed for sure…"
Jessica raised her hand and slashed the air, sharp as a cutting blade.
"Those two won't go down that easily."
"Y-yeah… that Cain kid did look insanely strong."
"Not just Cain. Endi too. He's stronger than he looks."
Her conviction pierced the darkness like starlight, leaving the four soldiers behind her exchanging startled glances.
Meanwhile, Endi dodged the hail of bullets and stumbled to the tower's entrance, barely alive. He was about to plunge inside, like an arrow guided by fate—when a massive shadow loomed up behind him.
Hands clamped down on his arms, silencing his mouth. Unable to resist the brute strength, Endi was dragged into the punishment block.
"He went inside the tower!"
Darmaine's men shouted, pointing at the entrance—a deliberate lie meant to mislead the pursuers and set their vile scheme into motion.
The soldiers took the bait and stormed the tower like a pack of wolves chasing prey.
In the dim cell, Endi was released from his binds. He looked up—and froze.
"You! Where's Lamia, you meatball?!"
"Who're you calling meatball, you brat?! That's Darmaine-sama to you!"
Darmaine spat in rage, his fury bursting forth.
"Admiral, keep it down!" one of his men urged.
"Ah—hah, my bad. Well, well, Endi! Alive and kicking, huh? You're one tough bastard!"
"I don't have time for this. Where's Lamia?"
"Somewhere on the forty-fifth floor. I'll help you out."
Darmaine's sly grin flicked out like a serpent's tongue.
And yet Endi's eyes lit up, unguarded.
"Really? Guess you're not such a bad guy after all!"
His guileless words left everyone momentarily dumbfounded.
"Charging the front alone is suicide. You'll just be throwing your life away."
"Then… you'll fight alongside me?"
"Not just us."
Darmaine jingled a heavy ring of keys, grinning like a petty crook making a deal in the dark.
"This is Mildonia's punishment block. It's crammed with rebels and defectors locked up for breaking the rules. If we free them, we'll have an army."
With that, they flung open the cells, unleashing fifty-one prisoners. Rusted bars groaned, and the souls of the forgotten surged out, hungry for freedom.
"Boss Darmaine, what's gotten into you?" one prisoner asked.
Darmaine cleared his throat, then pointed at Endi.
"Listen up! This here's Endi—the fool who stormed Mildonia alone to take down evil itself! I'm following him! I couldn't ignore this man's courage!"
"What, alone? That kid?"
"Still… gutsy for his age."
Murmurs of respect spread, and Endi scratched his head sheepishly, as if bathed in sudden spotlight.
Darmaine's voice thundered on.
"Endi's kindness bought you freedom! Now what will you do—run? Not me! We've all been used like dogs. If we flee without payback, we're no men at all! Let's smash them before we go!"
"Yeah! Let's do it!"
"They've bled us enough—it's our turn!"
"If that kid's fighting, we'd be cowards to run!"
The prisoners' morale roared like flames devouring oil.
Endi found himself raised up like a hero, unsettled by the fervor.
Darmaine's men dragged in sacks full of rifles and blades, handing them out.
"When this is over, Grand Admiral Darmaine will lead you to a peaceful land! But remember this—don't you dare die on me!"
Weapons in hand, the prisoners howled and stormed the tower. Endi followed, a young lion leading the storm.
"What the—?! Prisoners? Why are they here?"
The tower's guards panicked, chaos spreading like a hive struck with a stick.
High above, the Guild commander reclined with a whiskey glass, like a corrupt king on his throne.
"What the hell is taking so long to catch one intruder?"
He snapped at the soldier reporting in.
"M-my apologies, sir. And… I regret to say…"
"Out with it!"
"The prisoners from the punishment block… they've broken free, armed themselves, and barricaded inside the tower."
"What—?! What the hell is happening?!"
The Guild slammed the table, fury shaking the room.
On the first floor, Old Doal troops clashed with the escaped convicts in a storm of gunfire, turning the tower into a battlefield.
Endi ducked behind cover as bullets whined past.
A prisoner pressed a pistol into his hand.
"Here, Endi. You'll be slaughtered unarmed."
"No thanks. I don't know how to use it. I'm stronger with my fists. Just tell me—how do I get to the forty-fifth floor?"
"The forty-fifth?! That's suicide—Guild's chambers are up there, crawling with guards! What business do you have?"
"There's someone I must save. That's why I came."
Endi's eyes gleamed like a blade carrying starlight.
The prisoner, Frod—a former soldier jailed for defiance—was struck to the heart. His gentle yet unyielding aura spoke of quiet strength.
"…All right. I'll help you. Take the elevator—I'll guide you."
Without hesitation, Endi trusted him, following as though he'd gained a new comrade.
Elsewhere, Darmaine and his three men slipped to the elevator banks ahead of the chaos. They boarded one of the direct lifts bound for the fortieth floor.
As the doors shut and tension eased, Darmaine's face twisted into a vile grin.
"Gyahahahahaha! Those fools tearing it up down there—perfect cover! Let them die screaming for me! We'll snatch Lamia and vanish! Wah-hahahaha!"
His laughter was the venomous roar of a serpent.
Even his own men grimaced at its filth as the elevator carried them upward.
Darmaine's betrayal cut cold and sharp, like a hidden blade in the dark.